Just Another Lover
by illbeyourhimitsu
Summary: Ianto falling for Jack was inevitable. But Jack falling for Ianto was not. After all, wasn't he just another lover? Slight spoilers. Kinda messy writing.


Every single person who met Captain Jack Harkness had to admit he was handsome. No matter what species they were, regardless of whether they were human, alien, tree or robot, it was an indisputable fact about Jack. It was the first thing anyone noticed. That, and then the features of his face. The cocky smile as he introduced himself (flirting, the Doctor had called it), the strong jaw line, and last, but definitely not least, his light blue eyes that screamed 'innocent' yet anyone who knew Jack, knew that they were just masking pain. But that wasn't something anyone could detect the first times the spoke to Jack. He was handsome, sexy, sweet, entertaining – the perfect gentleman. Irresistible, even. In all honesty, who couldn't help but be attracted to him?  
It really wasn't a question as to why even Ianto was attracted to Jack. He couldn't help it. Especially not after he lost the only person he had ever loved. Even when he had betrayed all of Torchwood, Jack had for some reason, let him stay, and serve as part of Torchwood once more.

Waking up in Jack's arms, that day, Ianto first thought was that what his eyes had presented before him was a beautiful sight- maybe an angel had come to greet him? Of course, Ianto knew that there wasn't really such thing as an afterlife; Suzie and Jack had told him more than enough to know what truly lied beyond death. Still, it was a comforting thought. Though that thought was quickly eradicated from his mind when he remembered that he wasn't even close to dying, and he had to save Lisa.

But Ianto's attraction to Jack was inevitable. Jack's attraction to Ianto…that was unexpected, even just a little so for Jack himself.

Though it was a well known fact that Jack would shag nearly anything, he still had some standards, or perhaps resistance was the better word. It wasn't as if he'd have a relationship with Owen, Tosh, or Gwen. They had their lives outside of Torchwood, much unlike Jack. Owen was a player, and Tosh was in love with Owen, and Gwen had Rhys…and Owen. They had their personal lives, and he felt as if he shouldn't interfere with them. Although he was their friend, he was their boss first. Ianto, on the other hand…Ianto was the earliest to arrive in the morning and the last to leave, other than Jack, of course. Jack was always telling him to leave earlier and go to some club like what young kids like Ianto were supposed to. Ianto always replied with some silly excuse like 'I have some reports to finish,' and 'I'll leave when I'm done.' Instead he ended up staying in the Hub until late. It was awfully lonely for him, Jack always thought, but then he would realise his own hypocrisy. In that way, they were somewhat alike. And then there was how neither of them appeared how they seemed. Jack was more than a dozen decades years old, contradicting his appearance, and Ianto had betrayed his closest friends for someone who was beyond ever being normal again. There were a few ways they were similar, and eventually, it wasn't even Jack who had initiated their physical relationship.

Jack knew Ianto was trying to comfort him, and the thought always made him smirk. If he contemplated about it, Ianto was always the one comforting him. Regardless whether Gwen, or anyone else were to beat him to it, Ianto was always there to listen to him regardless. Jack would never tell him much, though, always quick to kisses…and whatever else Jack wanted.

Sometimes Gwen wondered if Jack noticed what he was doing to Ianto; making him fall in love with Jack, when he could never reciprocate those feelings. Jack would live long past Ianto's- or anyone else's life span. He couldn't say with him for the rest of Ianto's life.

But Gwen was wrong about both of those things. Over the next year or so, Jack found himself drawn to Ianto, and wasn't just the basic physical contact he craved. He couldn't help wanting him near, every time they were separated, thinking about him just because he could. Ianto was always there by his side, doing everything and anything Jack wanted or needed.

Jack could hardly believe himself: falling in love with someone who was nearly a hundred years younger than him. Falling in love for the first in a rather long time.  
But it was something Jack could never say. It would only break Ianto's heart the day he would have to leave, and he'd done that already, a thousand times over. He couldn't do it again, not to young, innocent Ianto. Except he forgot what his work was. He'd somehow naively thought that because he'd already lost two of his teammates, he'd be able to protect the remaining members properly the second time around. Jack had been an idiot.

So it was just once he was able to say the words. Between choked-back sobs and his heart pounding in his ears, Jack said those three words that he wasn't even sure meant anything anymore. Did it matter if someone told you that they _loved you_ if you were on the brink of death? If your heart was faltering by the millisecond and you could feel nothing but the pain surging through your body? Jack wouldn't know. He had died again and again, but to him, it wouldn't matter. If anyone truly loved him, they could wait a few more minutes to tell him. But then again, for Ianto, he knew he couldn't. In a thousand years, Jack would forget him. Jack had probably had more than fifty lovers – maybe more. What did one more mean to him? Not much, Ianto thought. Just a shag to keep him entertained.

Jack, Gwen, Ianto- somehow each one of them had been wrong.

Not just a shag.

Not just a blip in time.

More like true love.


End file.
